Google goes underwater with Street View

Four days ahead of the World Oceans Day, Google has released a new update to Google Street View which takes us all under the ocean's surface.

As the company announced in blog posted on Thursday, you can explore brand new Street View imagery of more than 40 locations around the world, including the American Samoa and Chagos Islands and underwater dives in Bali, the Bahamas and the Great Barrier Reef.

“We hope the release of this imagery inspires people to learn more about this precious natural resource,” it says in the blog post.

This way, not only does Google expand its Street View under the ocean’s surface, but it also draws our attention to the harm humans do to the ocean and its wildlife. Just in time for the World Oceans Day that falls on June 8, as well as at the time when a 20-year-old is starting his ambitious project to rid the oceans of plastic, Google shows us the beauties of our planet, the whales, fish and other creatures under the sea as well as coral reefs, shipwrecks and other areas to explore.

"Home to the majority of life on Earth, the ocean acts as its life support system, controlling everything from our weather and rainfall to the oxygen we breathe," Google said in its blog. "Yet despite the ocean's vital importance, the ocean is changing at a rapid rate due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, making it one of the most serious environmental issues we face today."

Google created the images in partnership with the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Chagos Conservation Trust.